For The Sake Of The Soldier

For the Sake of

the
|| Soldier,

Voluntary Work of Brisbane
'. • " Women* =====

tfTTA MAClEOb.

v : , . , , • ' Printers : \ : l

rdon and (xdtch (Queensland) Limited

,212-214 Queen Street, Brisbane* .'■) ; ' .

For the Sake of

the
Soldier,

Voluntary Work of Brisbane
===== Women* ===============

By

RITA MACLEOD.

Printers :

Gordon and Gotch (Queensland) Limited,

212-214 Queen Streei t Brisbane*

The following — " Remember the Men in the Trenches"
" Verdun" and " The Return" — are reprinted by the kind
permission of the proprietors of " The Daily Mail" Brisbane.

3

Preface.

ANYONE called on to write a preface for a book
describing" the efforts of women for the sake of the
soldier should not complain of want of material for
his purpose. All over the British and Allied countries the
splendid work of women shines out brilliantly in contrast to
the dark background of the brutal horrors of war. Courag'e,
patience, self-denial, self-sacrifice — with untiring- energy and
devotion — make up a galaxy of virtues that, to some extent
at least, compensate for the dreadful losses and shocks which
women have had to sustain, and when added to all these is
the abiding faith of women in the great principles of
Christianity, we have the foundation broader and deeper,
than ever before, of a regeneration of the world of the future
for the highest purposes. No effort of political or commercial
organization can ever be comparable in its results with those
to come from the noble ideals which have actuated the souls
of the women and which they have now made portion of
themselves.

In this country the women have risen to the occasion as
readily and as effectively as their sisters in any part of the
world. The war has touched them deeply — more deeply
than it has touched a large number of our men. They have
offered their services in many directions, and have
appropriated to themselves spheres of work that are
invaluable. No record that has been or, perhaps, can be now
compiled can do full justice to the work that they have done
and are still doing. Every day new avenues of useful help
are being exploited by them. One of the latest productions
is this little book compiled by a woman, presented by her
free of cost, embodying one of her activities " for the sake of
the soldier," and as a preface to it this is an expression of
hope and trust that the book shall prove a source of
inspiration to others, both women and men, to rise to the
spiritual and ideal heights prompted by the crisis of the war.

A. J. THYNNE, Colonel,

Vice Chairman State Recruiting Committee of Queensland.

Florence Nightingale.

Contents.

the Kangaroo Point Hospital — Illustration

Frontispiece — Florence Nightingale
For the Sake of the Soldier
The Red Cross . .

The Brisbane Girl
Belgium in Winter — Illustration . .
Afternoon Tea- — from the V. A. D. Buffet
Brisbane Spinning' Guild
Queensland Soldiers' Comforts Fund
Verdun . . . . . . . .

Soldiers in the Field
Anzac Club

Remember the Men in the Trenches
Imperial Service Club
Red Cross Workshop
Young Australia
Residential Cluo
The Return
Coo-ee Cafe ...
Toys made at the Kangaroo Point Military Hospital — Illustration
The Return of Wounded Soldiers — Illustration
Queensland Soldiers' Sock Fund

Queensland Red Cross Motor Waggon —Illustration
Home for Returned Soldiers

A Section of the Red Cross Kitchen in Brisbane — Illustration
Red Cross Kitchen
Nurse Cavell — Illustration

Circles and Guilds . . . . . . . . . . . .

Spirit of Service ....

Transporting Wounded Soldiers from Gallipoli — Illustration •
Mutual Service Club

The Flight from Antwerp — Illustration . . * .

Pa

ge 4
7

*4
i7
19
21

22

25
27
28
29

33
34
35

39
40
41
42
43
44
45
47
48
49
5°

We shall never sheatk
the sword which we have not
lightly drawn, until Belgium
recovers in full measure all, and
more than all, that she has
sacrificed.

[MR. ASQUITH,

at the Guildhall, Nov.

9th, 1914.]

Raemaeker.

6

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The Valley Drapers.

For the Sake of the Soldier.

THE VOLUNTARY WORK OF
BRISBANE WOMEN. . . . .

By RITA MACLEOD.

IT would be just as impossible to give a complete account
of the voluntary war work of Brisbane women as it
would be to give a complete history of the actions of the
soldiers in this war. There are countless deeds of devotion
of which no record has ever been made, or ever will be. But
there are results, and this little booklet is an attempt to give
a resume of the work performed by Brisbane women for the
sake of the soldier during- the last three vears.

Since the commencement of the war in 191 4, organ-
isations have sprung up wherever the need of the soldier has
been recognised. They have mainly been the result of the
efforts of women. The work has been entirely voluntary,
and the enthusiasm has by no means diminished as one year
has succeeded another. Many women have altered the whole
tenor of their lives, and given their undivided attention and
energy to the soldier. But the outstanding feature of the
war work has been the courage with which women who have
lost their sons have again taken up the thread of work for the
common good. It is something too deep for passing words
of appreciation. It is that which no pen can write — no words
describe.

THE NEW

Poulsen Studios

Phone : Central 793.

At the Old Address.

The Soldiers Popular Photographers.

Your friends can buy anything you may
send them except your Photograph.

14|to 18 QUEEN STREET

BRISBANE.

i

9

The Red Cross.

FOR THE WOUNDED, SICK AND CONVALESCENT,
AND PRISONERS OF WAR.

THE sign of the Red Cross has been an emblem of relief and comfort
to thousands and thousands of soldiers during- the last three
years — and the women of Queensland have contributed their full
share to that emblem. In the busy thoroughfares of the city, in the
quietness of the home, and in the outlying districts of mining, agriculture
and station holds they have worked incessantly since the outbreak of
war. The Red Cross Society was the first institution established for
the benefit of soldiers in Queensland. It started from a well-represented
meeting in the Brisbane Town Hall in August, 1914, and has increased
to such an extent that there is scarcely a town in Queensland in which
there is not a branch of the Society, while in Brisbane alone there are 34
branches of Red Cross activity.

No man, woman or child can plead ignorance of Red Cross Work.
It is voluntary help given to alleviate the pain and sickness of the
soldiers, and the women of Queensland have spared no effort to supply
goods to the hospitals and convalescent homes both at home and abroad.

The military hospitals in and around Brisbane, the transports leaving
for war zones, and the Australian divisions of the Red Cross in Egypt,
England, France and other parts of Europe are supplemented with
necessities from the Queensland division of the Red Cross. To the
head-quarters in Adelaide Street there is a steady flow of consignments
arriving from the suburban and country branches. These are unpacked
in the receiving and distributing room on the basement and stored
ready for the demands of the military authorities. When a requisition
for a hospital or transport is received the articles are again packed and
distributed : groceries, bandages, socks, shirts, pyjamas, magazines
and the hundred and one articles required for the sick or wounded
being arranged and consigned according to the requirements. One
thousand lib. tins of dripping are sent monthly for the prisoners of war
in Germany, in addition to tins of fruit, meat extracts, honey, rolled
oats, tea, cheese and other groceries, ,£5,400 a month being spent by
the Australian Red Cross Society for the prisoners of war alone.

Then there are requirements of the men in the hospitals overseas.
Altogether over 400,000 articles and hundreds of cases and bales of
sundries have been sent overseas since the war broke out, 1258 consign-
ments having been sent since last December in addition to 160
bags of sugar. The donations in money which have been collected- and
gathered through the stenuous efforts of the women amount to over
£129,864. All this work is voluntary. This fact cannot be stressed too
much, for therein lies the spirit of service which pervades the work of
women for the soldier. Many of the Red Cross members have given up
their lives to the society since the outbreak of the war, and in no way

10

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11

have their efforts diminished. The only absentees are those who are
ill from overwork ; but so strong is the desire to return, that often while
yet in the stage of convalescence they will return to their posts.

The headquarters are a wonderful demonstration of the latent
ability within women. Many of the workers lived in a small home circle
previous to the war. But now they are capable business women. The
organisation is well thought out and capably administered. There is no
overlapping. Each section has its own particular convener and work.
And when it is considered that there are 202 branches, in addition to sub-
branches, within the Queensland division, and that the work of those
branches includes the buying of material, the cutting out and making
of garments and articles, and packing and despatching to headquarters ;
that there are sub-committees to supply delicacies to the local military
hospitals, entertainment committees to .provide amusement for returned
men, handicraft and work sections to teach them a means of earning
money, and an information bureau for relatives of men abroad, some
idea of the tremendous work of the society will be realised. The hon.
general secretary has her finger on the pulse of each of these activities,
and a Red Cross Magazine is issued monthly to give all current in-
formation to the workers and public in general.

It is a wonderful achievement for women who, previous to the cry
of war, had lived the every-day domestic life of the average woman.
And they are as enthusiastic to-day as when they put their first stitch in
a Red Cross garment or took up pen to arrange the financial affairs of
a branch. Their difficulty is not the lack of gifts or work — these roll in
daily — the chief outcry is the small amount of space obtainable to send
the goods overseas to the men who are wounded and ill. The tonnage
given to the Red Cross Society is worked on a percentage of the enlist-
ments. And there is not nearly sufficient tonnage.

1

12

\

James Heaslop & Sons Ltd.,

HEASLOP'S CENTRE.

BECAUSE the principle of "Better Value Giving for a Lower
Price " is always the rule here, you are bound to get absolute
satisfaction in everything that is purchaseable at HKASLOP'S
CENTRE.

You can get all your requirements at HP^ASLOP'S CENTRE in

Seasonable Frocks, Blouses, Skirts,

Millinery, Golfers,
Coats, Ladies' Underwear, Corsets,
Hosiery, Gloves,
Sunshades, Kimonos, Dressing Jackets,

Laces, Embroideries,
Ribbons, Dress Materials, Serges, Silks,
Calicoes, Art Muslins,
and other Household and Furnishing Drapery,

Furniture,
Linoleums, Carpets, Mats,
Men's Clothing, Boys' Clothing,
Shirts, Undershirts, Underpants, Pyjamas,
Collars, Ties, Hats,
Travelling Requisites, Fancy Goods,
Toys/ Etc.

Make it your business to call at Heaslop's Centre, and note the
big savings you will make on every purchase.

It

The New Season's Goods are here now for you — come and see
them.

James Heaslop & Sons Ltd.,

Drapers, Clothiers, Furnishers, Etc.,
HEASLOP'S CENTRE,
"The Drapers of the People/'

STANLEY STREET, SOUTH BRISBANE.

13

The Brisbane Girl.

CHANNELS OF HER PATRIOTIC ENERGY,

Look to the rose that blows about us. Lo,
Laughing - , she says, " into the world I blow,
At once the silken tassel of my purse
Tear and its treasure on the garden throw."

THE Brisbane girl of war time should make a splendid woman, for
she is spending her youth in a heroic and self-sacrificing age.
The silken tassel of her girlhood has been torn and all the
treasure of her youth thrown into the arena of war service. The
delights promised since childhood have been swept away in the great
tide of war, and instead of idle pleasures occupying her leisure hours, it
is war work on every side. And the war work has become more to her
than any idle pleasures could ever have become. All soldiers have
been her friends, and she has worked with enthusiasm for them for the
last three years.

At first her war work was a game, but as the seriousness of war
dawned on her she settled down to solid, earnest work in the interests
of the man in khaki. The business girl gives what time she can spare,
the girl of leisure has in many cases given up her freedom. In the Red
Cross Kitchen or the V. A. D. she will cook and serve for the Red Cross
or Comforts Funds. She will sew and knit, or, again, she will devote
hours to organising and taking part in entertainments, clubs, fetes, or
other channels for raising money to swell some particular fund. No
task is too menial or too big for her in her endeavours to do " her bit "
for the soldiers.

THE BRISBANf GIRLS' CLUB.

This was one of the first girls' organisations for war work on a big scale.
Among their chief activities have been the providing of Christmas and
Easter Dinners to the men in camp, the purchasing of a billiard table, a
pianola and a piano for the White Cit} r , and the supplying of pies to
men on military duty two nights weekly. The members have been
successful in collecting over ,£1,900 since the inception of the club, and
^139 4s. 8d. of that sum was raised on behalf of the Citizens' Queen's
Carnival in aid of the Residential Club. Other efforts include the
presentation of flags, while the conducting of the Comforts Funds of the
41st and 42nd Battalions is included in the regular work of the club.

THE TOOWONG GIRLS' CLUB.

This club has raised considerable sums through garden parties,
concerts and the selling of cakes and flowers, the result of their efforts
being divided between various patriotic organisations. The
distributions have included the presentation of side drums to various
Companies, and furniture for the sitting room at the Kangaroo Point
Military Hospital. The club also keeps a bed in up-to-date order in the
same hospital.

1

14

The A.C.B.

Ladies' Drapers,

THE VALLEY, BRISBANE.

Speciality Store for Ladies Only.

The Largest Speciality Store for Ladies' and
Children's Wear in Queensland.

Thousands of Ladies visit our Bargain Show
Rooms daily.

We recommend customers to read our advertise-
ments appearing daily in the Brisbane Daily
Papers.

Belgium in Winter.

Raemaeket .

I

15

THE NEW FARM GIRLS' CLUB.

The members of this club have presented two rowing" boats and a
complete set of garden tools to the Kangaroo Point Military Hospital
among other gifts for patriotic needs. Their most successful venture
was a concert held in the South Brisbane Technical College in 1915,
when ^45 was raised.

HAMILTON GIRLS' CLUB.

The chief objects of this band of workers is to buy materials for
garments, which are forwarded to the Hamilton Red Cross and the
Queensland Comforts Fund, while wool is obtained for socks for the
Sock Fund. Other gifts have included linoleum for the billiard room at
the Kangaroo Point Military Hospital. The funds have been raised
chiefly through river trips, tennis parties and other entertainments, over
,£250 having been collected since June, 1915.

V.A.D.

The girls of the Voluntary Aid Detachment are easily recognised
in their navy blue coats with a Red Cross Badge on the arm. There
are two detachments in Brisbane, with a full complement of 24 girls in
each, the detachments being under the supervision of Commandants
and Quartermasters. Each girl qualifies for her position, and must hold
first aid and home nursing - certificates, and produce them within six
months of joining. V.A.D. girls have taken up their work with a
determination. Not only do they receive a certain amount of training
in the civil hospitals, but they are drilled by a sergeant once a week
during the major part of the year, and they work under discipline at
regular stated times. Their most notable work in Brisbane is the buffet
at the Kangaroo. Point Flospital, where morning tea, afternoon tea and
supper is provided for convalescent soldiers at a nominal cost, the idea
being to supply small extras apart from the rations allowed by the
military authorities. This branch of their work has been highly
successful. The small kitchen is the centre of V.A.D. cooks and
waitresses both day and night, while the restaurant between the
recreation hall and the kitchen is always full of returned convalescent
soldiers. A few months ago a number of soldiers approached the V.A.D.
authorities, and said that they thought the charges at the buffet were
too small. They felt it savoured of charity, but the V.A.D. would not
hear of raising the prices, and in proof of the absence of charity,
explained that in the first nine months they had made a profit of £150.
As is well known, two of the girls went home to England last year to
assist in the military hospitals, but one of the girls (Miss Lydia Grant)
became ill while on duty and died on April 1st of this year. Two girls
were recently accepted for duty in the Stanthorpe Military Hospital,
and have now taken up their duties as cook and wardsmaid, while
another member of the detachment has been appointed to the position
of cook in a military hospital in Egypt. A V.A.D. girl must be prepared
to work hard, and it speaks well for the Brisbane girls that there
are so many enthusiasts attached to the movement.

16

Y.W.C.A.

The patriotic workers of the Y.W.C.A. are nearly all business girls,
so that any time or money given is particularly self-sacrificing - . There
are two patriotic committees in the association. The War Relief
Committee, which is a sub-committee of the North Ward Branch of the
Red Cross, and the Soldiers' Comforts Club, which assists the
Queensland Soldiers' Comforts Fund. There are a large number of
members to each committee, and the donations consist of both goods
and money.

OTHER GIRLS' EFFORTS.

It would be difficult to find a club, society, or band of girls at
present in Brisbane, who are not assisting to swell patriotic funds in
one way or another. Some have had more notable results than others,
but all are absolutely giving of their best. A band of girls under the
supervision of a patriotic worker, have collected considerable sums for
the Wattle Day League, enabling that body to hand over sufficient
money to the Red Cross, in 191 5, to erect the recreation hall at Kangaroo
Point Hospital, in addition to giving substantial sums to other funds.
Last year they collected nearly £800 for the League, the sum being
handed over to the War Council to obtain Caines' artificial limbs for
maimed returned soldiers. They had a notable success for France last
month (July), and are working for another collection day later in the
year when it is proposed to devote the proceeds to the benefit of Queens-
land soldiers. This is the result of the efforts of one band of girls, while
practically all the girls' schools in and around Brisbane send in
garments and socks to one or other of the movements to assist the
soldiers. Nor must the energetic work of the amateur operatic societies be
forgotten. Many of the members of the Brisbane Amateur Operatic
Society and the Brisbane Amateur Operatic Players are girls who have
contributed to patriotic funds through their individual efforts. Girls are
also continually arranging private concerts and entertainments, the
proceeds of which are devoted to the cause of the soldier. One teacher
of elocution has toured the country with a small company at intervals
during the last three years and has succeeded in raising over £2,000
for patriotic funds. Early in the year, the Red Triangle appeals
resulted in exceptional sums being raised, and girls in all parts of
Queensland were untiring in their efforts to collect money or arrange
entertainments for the Y.M.C.A. Huts. The Brisbane girl is not afraid
to work for the soldier ; rather is it her pride to exert in his interests
what energy she may possess.

17

18

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IS THE BEST.

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Grey

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of this yarn is under the supervision of an expert, and in every particular the
product will be found equal to the best imported Wools. At present we are
making" only 4-Ply in Black, Navy, Grey and Heather. From 3^ to 4 skeins
of this Wool are required to knit a pair of full size Men's Socks, and when
made no man could wish to wear better. The Yarn is also suitable for
Children's Garments, Ladies ! Jackets, Cap Comforters, and, in fact, any
purpose to which Knitting- Wool is applied. •

Our Price is 8 Pence per Skein, or 7/9 per Dozen Skeins.

Red Cross and Patriotic Leagues who require larger quantities ma}' have amy

of the four shades at the rate of 60/- per Spindle of 8 Dozen Skeins.

"GIBSONIA" ALL WOOL IS THE BEST.

Made and Sold only by

Foy & Gibson Pty. Ltd*

19

Brisbane Spinning Guild.

REVIVAL OF AN OLD INDUSTRY.

SPINNING is such an old handicraft that most modern Australian
girls grew up with the idea that spinning belonged more to the
time of fairy tales than to a period within even living memory.
They all knew the story of the princess who was spinning when her
wicked godmother cast a spell and transformed her into a sleeping
beauty. Old legends of the homeland told of the women who spun, and
one knew that in Highland cottages, with grandfather clocks, deep,
wide fireplaces and inglewoods, there were spinning wheels hidden
away in some forgotten corner.

But to day in Brisbane there are hundreds of spinners spinning wool
to make socks for the soldiers. Owing to the scarcity and price of wool
a Brisbane Wool Spinning Guild was started in Brisbane over a year ago
by a small band of enthusiasts, one object being to provide wool to
soldiers' relatives at less than the shop prices,

There are now over 100 spinning wheels belonging to the guild, the
wheels being made from bicycle wheels donated to the guild, and manu-
factured by the Railway Department free of charge. The majority of
these are hired out to Brisbane members at the rate of 5s. for six months.
Wheels may also be bought from £2 10s, and numbers have been sold to
country members. In some sheep stations the wool is grown, dipped,
spun, carded and made into socks on the homestead, the complete
article being a product of that one station.

So far, all the wool used by the guild has been donated by the
squatters of Queensland, and since all the work is voluntary it is possible
to sell the spun and carded wool at less than the ordinary cost price.
The carding is either hand-carded at the rooms, or it is done at the
mills through the courtesy of the mill«-owners.

The rooms are open every Tuesday and Friday, from 11 a.m. to
1 p.m., and from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., third floor, Courier Building.
And what a busy and picturesque scene is presented on these days. On
each side of the long room are women sitting" at the spinning wheels,
about 20 wheels all moving at the same time. It is here that
beginners are taught, and experienced spinners work industriously.
Members are allowed to buy the carded wool, but all wool spun
at home on the hired machine is returned to the guild, where it is
weighed and examined by the committee. A small book of instruction
was compiled and issued last year so that women in the country have
every facility to learn. The guild has been of inestimable value to
women who have a number of relatives at the war, and who found the
price of wool a severe tax on slender means. The movement has steadily
grown throughout Queensland in the last year, and no better testimony
of the work could be shown than the splendid exhibitions of wool dis-
played by amateur spinners at the Brisbane Show, both this year and
last year, and at the recent Toowoomba Show. The renewal of spinning
shows the determination of women to use every means possible to
alleviate the hardships of war.

20

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are without a Peer
- in all Brisbane -

And we are splendidly ready in every imaginable way
to show or send to you just what you like to wear i»

FROCKS
BLOUSES
SKIRTS

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21

Queensland Soldiers Comforts Fund.

FOR MEN IN THE TRENCHES.

THE thought of the severe strain of trench life, whether in the
deserts of Egypt or the blood-stained fields of France, has
always struck a chord of compassion in the hearts of women.
It seemed so terrible that, in addition to risking their lives, the soldiers
should be faced with daily discomfort ; and when the Queensland
Division of the Australian Soldiers' Comforts Fund was established in
Brisbane, in September, 1915, there was a big response to the appeal for
help. It was felt that no one here in the comfort of ordinary life could
do too much to alleviate that discomfort, and all over Queensland
women set to work to provide what they knew was required by the
men in the trenches. The local branch became headquarters, and to-day
there are over 40 branches throughout the State, with the central head-
quarters situated in the basement of Parbury House.

This general fund provides comforts for all Queensland soldiers
irrespective of the unit to which they belong. Over ^5,000 has been
donated by the people of Queensland, and this money is used to buy the
materials for garments and socks, to provide groceries and sundries
required by the men, while a certain amount of money is sent monthly
to the commissioners abroad to provide coffee stalls, entertainments
(picture and variety shows) and musical instruments for men right in the
trenches and firing lines. Honorary commissions have been appointed
by the Commonwealth Government, and it is they who acquaint the
Australian governing bodies of what the men require- When
Mr. Budden (late Chief Hon. Commissioner for Australian comforts) was
in Brisbane he said that in one month alone they had provided 81,960
socks to men in the front trenches. The colossal task undertaken by
the women may be imagined when this was quoted as one item. At
another time, 25,000 tooth brushes and 25,000 tins of tooth powder were
provided. To all these requirements the Queensland Division
contributed her share. In the first year the hundreds of consignments
sent abroad included among the comforts 5,830 shirts, 11,607 pairs of
socks, 1,232 tins of milk, 763 tins of fruit and jam, 5,000 packets and tins
of cigarettes, 1,250 tins of fish, and a list of articles too lengthy to
enumerate. And in no way has the work slackened since that month of
September, 1915.

The headquarters at Parbury House are the scene of many busy
hours. The room is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., except Saturday,
when it closes at midday, and one of the honorary secretaries is on duty
daily. The workers are occupied continually with sewing or cutting
out, distributing material or wool to be used up, arranging the goods
for various consignments, packing cases to be forwarded abroad, or
unpacking the contributions from one of the 40 country branches.
There are ten sewing machines in the room, and when they are all
being used, and the various other sections of the organization are

22

If you are interested in a soldier call or write
for our New List of

Gifts for Soldiers

It includes Suggestions for Presents for Soldiers at
■' Send-offs." Suggestions for Presents for the Soldier
at the front. A list of useful parcels for posting, in-
cluding Cigarettes and Chocolates, or Useful Articles
of Clothing. The Parcels range in price from 5s.
upwards. There are a hundred to select from.

All Col ours in Battalion Brooches kept in stock.

Rothwells Ltd., brTsbane

VERDUN.

We think of love, of garden plots and song - ,
We dream our dreams to be — and gone —
While hell let loose, men speak and done
Defend Verdun.

A glint of red, a glow of crimson flowers
Uplift their heads to meet the morning hours,
A glint of red — in battlefield the Hun
Awaits Verdun.

O ! Frailty of man who only knows
When stormy wind across his garden blows !
For glints of red a-shining in the sun
Reflect Verdun.

23

centres of busy women, the room seems one hive of activity. The
honorary secretary's table, with a telephone, is in the centre, while to
the left is a circulating - library, initiated by the Girls' Sub-committee to
augment the funds. This committee has also made considerable sums
through the sale of cakes and home-made sweets, while individual
members make and sell home-made jams to swell the funds. All work
is voluntary, and no effort is spared to increase the comforts for the
soldiers, and the committees are continually improving their methods
and means of attending to the wants of the men who are in the trenches.
The movement is essentially alive, and if the men could see how
earnestly and unselfishly the women were considering their wants, they
would feel cheered indeed. As it is, the letters that pour in from all
sources show the deep appreciation of the men. The wonderful part is
their gratitude — they do not seem to realise the tremendous sacrifices
they themselves are making. Time and again the commissioners report
that the soldiers will say quietly, " You are too good to us," and when
coftee is served near the firing line or soup made, the soldiers seem to
take it as a message from home All gifts are bought or made in
Australia, if possible, and a " comforts" badge or message put on the
articles. The fact that they come direct from Australia increases their
value a hundredfold in the eyes of the men. General Birdwood voiced
the thought of the Australians when he sent the following message to
those in charge of the Comforts' Funds : "All members of the A. I. F.
send our most grateful thanks to the kind wishers in Australia, who
have done so much to help the Australian soldiers through times of
difficulty and discomfort in the field. What that help has meant none
but those who have seen it on the spot can possibly realise."

24

Chocolate !

AUSTRALIAN CHOCOLATE FOR
AUSTRALIAN SOLDIERS

Nothing so sustaining for winter conditions as
GRIFFITHS' Pure Chocolate. Packed in
specially sealed tins ready for posting to the
Front. Also in Solid Blocks. Post a Block
with your next pair of socks.

Have you seen our SOLDIER'S HAMPER Lists? Write or ring us
up (' Phone 3496) and we will post you one.

nriffitU Rfoq 530 Queen Street '

VJIlllllllb UiUb. p e t r ie's Bight, Brisbane.
Prop. Ltd.

Large Blocks of Chocolate also obtainable at Finney Isles & Co. Ltd.,
Allan & Stark Ltd. , Etc.

Comforts ! ! !

What could be more comforting to our boys
in the trenches than PHOTOGRAPHS of
their "Ain Folk" from time to time.

Make an appointment with —

Thos. Mathewson & Co.,

184 Queen Street (next Finney Isles & Co.)

Brisbane,

And secure a PORTRAIT to send in time for Christmas.
'Phone 614.

■J

25

Soldiers in the Field.

INDIVIDUAL COMFORTS FUNDS.

IN addition to the General Comforts Funds, many individual funds have
sprung- up in the last twenty months for various units. Fetes have
been organised, entertainments given, arts and crafts sold, and busi-
ness ventures started and continued with success to augment the funds of
battalions and units for which different committees are exerting individual
effort. It was felt that the soldiers would appreciate gifts all the more
if they knew they were especially sent for their own particular unit, and
regimental flags are made and sent overseas, comforts provided, and
any special requests of the commanding officers are attended to wherever
possible.

Money is sent when specially asked for, and expended at the dis-
cretion of the commanding- officers, while the continual upkeep of con-
signments to the different battalions means an unfailing- interest on the
part of the women. When the men know that the cases have arrived
from Queensland and are consigned to their own particular battalion, a
special value is attached to them. The very fact that they have been
thought of individually is a pleasure, and from all accounts the cases
assume the proportion of Santa Clans to a small boy.

Some idea of the magnitude of the work performed in Queensland,
to send comforts to soldiers in the field, is realised when it is known that,
in addition to the Queensland Soldiers' Comforts Fund, the following
comforts funds are also in existence in Brisbane : —

2nd Light Horse

5th Light Horse

1 ith Light Horse

9th and 49th Battalions

15th Battation

25th Battalion

26th Battalion

31st Battalion

41st and 42nd Battalions

47th Battalion

3rd Pioneers

4th Pioneers

9th Field Artillery

Miners and Engineers

26

A Letter from France

France,

3/ 2 / x 7-

Dear Mrs. S and Miss W

Our Colonel has to-day handed me your
most magnificent parcel for distribution to friend-
less men of my company. The parcel, which
was sent by Messrs. T. C. Beirne & Co., arrived
in good order, and was greatly appreciated by
the men. It really was one of the best parcels
I l^ave yet seen. Everything it contained was
just what we find it difficult to get here.

(Signed) W. M. Davis, Major,

25th Batt., A.I.F.

And that's only one of the many appreciative letters
for Beirne's Soldier Boy Hampers that we have seen.

Every Mail for the Front sees hundreds of
BEIRNE HAMPERS going to make the
recipients happy.

Can we send one for you ? No trouble ! Just give us your
order. We do everything else.

Prices run :— 10/-, 15/-, 20/-, 25/

And that means The Postage Paid By Us.

T. C. BEIRNE & Co.,

"The House of the People."

The VALLEY, BRISBANE.

Anzac Club.

CHURCH OF ENGLAND SOLDIERS' HELP SOCIETY.

IN #quiet obscure street leading- from the main thoroughfares of the
city, there is a sign hung out from the building of an old church,
"Anzac Club." A rest home is here provided for returned soldiers
in particular, but all soldiers, whether recruits or men who have come
through action, are welcome. It is the outcome of the efforts of the
women of the Church of England Help Society, but no questions of
religion are asked, and the club is open to men of all denominations and
creeds.

The management is in the hands of men, and personal attention is
g-iven to individual soldiers in an open, broadminded way. For instance,
if an intoxicated man comes into the club, he is not turned out, but taken
to the rest room upstairs and given a couch to sleep off his intemperance.
Everything possible is done to encourage the men to use the club.
There are three rooms for their occupation. A large reading- and lounge
hall in the basement with a piano, gramaphone, easy chairs, small tables
and a restaurant. The stage of this hall has been turned into a billiard
room, and at all times of the day there are men using the privileges of
the club. Upstairs there is a reading-, writing and rest room, where
notepaper, envelopes and a library are provided free of charge. No
entrance fee or subscription is asked, and the only time a soldier has to
put his hand in his pocket is when he requires refreshments. These are
provided at the lowest cost possible, and it is obvious that some return
is necessary to keep the restuarant in financial order. Letters are
received p and remain in the care of the manager until called for, the
manager being in attendance every day and night, and the club open
from 9 a.m. to 10 p. m.

Different societies, and Protestant churches in and around Brisbane,
provide a fortnightly social, and no offer is ever refused to entertain the
men. The members of the Church of England Help Society hold a
" tea " every Sunday and provide all provisions. This function is ex-
tremely popular, and the attendance averages 270 soldiers. These
forms of entertaining returned men have had a wonderful influence
among men of previous uncertain character. They have wandered in,
in the first instance, out of curiosity, but the kindness of the girls and
women and the happy atmosphere of the club have attracted them again
and again. Seeing that a certain respectability is expected of them,
they have taken care to come sober and remain sober. The numbers of
men who were apparently "lost" characters and who have reformed
under the influence of the club is amazing. The women who worked up
this movement, and who continue to give strenuous attention to the
welfare of the club, are the source of more influence for good than they
are yet aware. But the Anzac Club was not instituted as a house of
reformation, nor is it run on any such lines. It is a rest home for the
men who have done " their bit," or who are going forth to fight for
their country.

28

Remember the Men in the Trenches.

HOW WOMEN MAY HELP AND ENCOURAGE.

THERE is an ever-increasing' demand for comforts for the men in the
trenches. The Queensland Soldiers' Comforts Depot in Parbury
House has an army of women throughout Queensland working-
daily to supply those wants. Elut these women are in need of re-inforce-
ments just as the soldiers in the trenches are in need of re-inforcements
of men to-day. Those women who have immediate lies with men in the
firing line have learnt of the soldiers' delight in receiving additional
comforts — they have also heard of the long hours spent midst wind, rain,
mud and snow, when the soldiers' only food was military rations, their
only clothes — military equipment. Sufficient comforts have not been
sent to the men. Additional socks, mufflers, mittens, Cardigan jackets,
Balaclava caps, shirts, games, musical instruments, books, tinned fruits
and milk are urgently needed. Surely the women of Queensland will
not fail to make further and greater efforts to bring some gladness to
the men fighting for us in France and Egypt.

The Anzacs who have returned from facing the hourly risk of death
have a strange look in their eyes, and many, when sitting quietly smoking
or resting, seem to be listening. One soldier was questioned : " You
look as if you were listening all the time to something - we can't hear."
"Yes," he said, "when I sit quietly I seem to hear the chaps in the
trenches calling" for me to come back." The Anzac in question was
well enough to do light military duty, but he felt that even he, after his
stenuous work and severe wounds, should return and give the men a
helping hand.

Can't you hear, women of Queensland, the men in the trenches
calling for extra comforts ? Can't you hear them saying, " If we had a
few more pairs of socks and some extra warm clothing things wouldn't
be so bad. I wonder why the women don't send us more things ?"
Those who have their women folk working here are unbounded in their
gratitude for individual parcels. They also receive gfoods from the
Soldiers' Comforts Fund. But think of the men who have no friends or
relations to work for them ! They depend entirely on extra comforts to
the Comforts Fund — and if there are not enough to go round there
must be many a bitter thought.

But not so bitter as the thought of no reinforcements of men. Nor
so bitter as the thought of extra risks< extra hours of suffering because
the country they are fighting for refuses to assist them in their hour of
need. Every extra man in the trenches lessens the casulty lists. Every
extra comfort gives not only a glow of pleasure and hours of comparative
ease, but encouragement. Writing from the trenches men say that
when parcels arrive excitement is intense. It seems a voice from home,
and for the nonce war and death are brushed aside. But the lonely
soldier who receives no remembrances, not even slight acknowledgment
of his sacrifices, must sometimes wonder if his country and countrymen
and women are worth risking death for.

29

Imperial Service Club.

THE HOME OF THE RECRUIT IN 1914-1916.

ALTHOUGH this club is now closed it will always live in the mem-
ory of the soldier who was a recruit during- 191 4-16. It provided
a place of rest and amusement to thousands and thousands of
soldiers, and the energetic band of women and men, who put their un-
tiring' energies into the club, are deserving of unstinted praise.

It was open every day, including Sunday, and there were always
certain members of the women's committees in attendance during the
day, while both men and women were on duty at night, the club closing
at 10 o'clock. The scheme was carried out on an extensive scale, and
everything possible was done to make the club a comfortable rendezvous
for the soldiers. The billiard tables were a great attraction, and
stationery and other necessaries were supplied free of cost. A restaurant
provided light refreshment, and all sorts o amusements were arranged
to attract and interest the soldiers. Over a hundred letters were often
received in one day for the men, and the reading and writing-rooms
were a boon to the lonely country recruit., Many men left their personal
belongings in the care of the committee, and these are stored ready
for the owners to claim them on their return from the war. Socials,
dances and entertainments were continually being held, and several
musical instruments were always at the disposal of the men in the large
lounge at the basement of the building. The White. City, other attract-
ions for the soldiers, and the fact that there were so few recruits in camp
at the end of 1916, occasioned the closing- of the club, and the women
who worked so enthusiastically for the movement have since turned
their energy into other patriotic channels.

30

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31

Red Cross Workshop.

FOR SOLDIERS AT KANGAROO POINT.

THE small theatre at the Kangaroo Point Military Hospital has been
removed to near the Recreation Hall at the gates, and converted
into a workshop for the soldiers. A section of the sub-committee
of hospitals took the matter in hand a few months ago, and a start was
then made to teach convalescent men wood-carving, basket-making,
toy-making, and other branches of handicraft. Some of the soldiers in
Sydney, where a similar scheme has been in operation for some time,
made from £2 a week upwards, and it is hoped that the movement will
be of the same benefit to the men in Brisbane.

The result has been even more successful than anticipated. Basket-
work, toys, poker-work, and small carpentry have already been made,
and there are now some skilled workers among the soldiers. An
exhibit which was recently shown in one of the shops in Queen-street,
was the centre of an admiring and interested crowd, while a display of
the work has also been arranged in the Red Cross Section at the
Exhibition.

The proceeds of all articles sold are given to the individual soldiers
who made them, minus the cost of the material. Orders have come in
from all quarters, and the men have sufficient to keep them working until
Christmas. A depot, however, has been promised in the city, where all
work made over and above the orders, will be exhibited and sold.

32

LLOYD GEORGE declares :

i

"Australia can best help the Imperial
Government by making those goods
locally she now imports. "

It may be added, in this way she can best help
herself, but her people must stand behind her and insist
on Australian Products.

The

"Wertheim-Australian" Pianos

are made in Australia by Australians.
Tonal qualities and excellence of casework unsurpassed.

Wertkim Central Showrooms : 52 QUEEN ST., CITY.

Young Australia.

WORK OF THE SCHOOL CHILDREN.

THE spirit of the times has not failed to touch the budding 1 woman-
hood of Queensland. In every school, whether public or private,
girls will be found knitting industriously for soldiers. Indeed, it
is no uncommon sight to see quite small children knitting in the trams
and suburban trains, and the exibitions of their work rank in quality with
the exhibits of women during these years of war.

At displays of school work there is always a large section devoted
to Red Cross efforts, and the mufflers, socks, "washers," and Balaclava
caps have been highly commended by expert needlewomen. In num-
erous ways children have assisted, in providing materials and funds for
the soldiers. Entertainments have been organised, and often talent dis-
covered that would otherwise have lain dormant, the children show-
ing unbounded enthusiasm for their work. They have also been en-
ocuraged to give small donations, such as having an "Egg Day" at the
schools, when each child brings an egg to send to the Red Cross Kitchen.
War will ever linger in the memory of the men and women of the coming
generation. It has built a foundation of self-sacrifice and generosity
such as no piping times of peace would have achieved.

33

Residential Club.

FOR RETURNED SAILORS AND SOLDIERS.

IT was a ladies' committee that initiated the movement to establish a
Residential Club in Brisbane for soldiers, and their efforts have
been untiring- since the first meeting- was held on May ioth of last year.
Combining with the Returned Soldiers' Association they soon established
a strong committee, the result is that the club is now ready for the
soldiers, having been officially opened by His Excellency the Governor on
the nth of this month. The building, which is at the corner of Wharf
and Ann streets, is a two-storey building and has every convenience for
a comfortable club. Entertainments of all kinds have been organised in
the cause of the Residential Club during the last year, the most notable
being the Queen's Carnival, which brought in an approximate result of
^4,000. jQi 1,000 will be required to clear the debt on the building, and
so far over .£7,000 has been collected or donated towards the fund.

The furniture, which is equal to that of any club in Brisbane, has
been provided through the efforts of women on the Furnishing Committee,
the Girls' Clubs in Brisbane, St. Stephen's Girls, and through the
generosity of leading business firms in the city.

The club is under the management of the Returned Sailors' and
Soldiers' Association. It is proposed to run it on broad lines so that
any returned soldier may feel that he has a club of his own in Brisbane.
The best possible accommodation is provided, and the tariff is made
sufficiently low to suit the average soldier's means. It is intended to
run the club on non-political and non-sectarian lines, and no evidence
of the common bond of sympathy that exists for this movement could be
more striking than the fact that men and women of all denominations
and creeds have met together for the last year to enthusiastically
further the project.

34

1

/COURTEOUS and Efficient Service—
V*_>< wnicn maKcs onopping a pleasure

is characteristic of every department
or our Store.

ATT A \T £>

STARK L TD

Queen Street and
Adelaide Street,
Brisbane.

Drapery

Mercery

Tailoring

Furniture

Crockery

Mail Orders a Speciality.

Catalogues upon request.

THE RETURN.

There has been no wheat grown in the Northern war areas of
France for the last two years, but the poppies have come up just the
same. The peasants believe that the scarlet flowers have sprung- up
where soldiers bled.

A laughing crowd akin to tears,

And men are passing by,
Who come from trench and battlefield

Where Soldiers' die.

Deep notes of music rise and fall

As men have fallen, too,
When Life laugh'd low at danger-mark

And Death withdrew.

Across the hill the crimson glow

Of day's return is blown,
And poppies nod in barren fields

Where blood was sown.

35

Coo-ee Cafe.

TO PROVIDE COMFORTS FOR SOLDIERS.

SOCIETY GIRLS BECOME WAITRESSES.

IT would cheer the soldiers in France and Egypt if they could catch a
glimpse of the scene enacted every day and all day in Isles-lane
to provide comforts for soldiers fighting abroad. There in the
Brisbane Club building, may be seen girls in dainty white frocks and
frilly caps and aprons, cooking every day to supply the restaurant in the
adjacent compartment. In the heat of summer they stood beside the
stoves, and baked cakes and cut up sandwiches and luncheons
to attend to the ever-increasing customers in the long tea room leading
from the lane, and to-day they are as enthusiastic in their work as when
the room first opened at the beginning- of the year.

Until July the tea room was in the basement of the building, and on
descending' the wide steps from the lane, the first thoughts that struck
the visitor were what a charming scene, what a bevy of pretty girls, and
what a babble of tongues. The cafe is 'now situated on the ground
floor, and at small tables, daintly arrayed with the picked blossoms
from suburban and country gardens, are visitors from all parts of
Brisbane. Soldiers in khaki, tired men, soldiers in the making - and raw
recruits, mingle with the civilian in mufti, while women in all their charm
of pretty frocks and subtle feminity are there to amuse and be amused.
From the far end a singer's voice rises and the babble is subdued to a
low murmur. Again an orchestra will break forth into melodious music,
while all the time busily attending" to the wants of their customers are
girls in becoming" white uniforms with their frilly aprons and mop caps. '

This is no idle hobby. There is a manager, a cashier and a
superintendent, who are in daily attendance at the cafe, while over 200
girls each give a day a week to either cooking in the kitchen or waiting
in the restaurant. All this work is entirely voluntary. The proceeds
are devoted to the Comforts Funds of the 9th and 49th Battalions, 9th
Field Artillery and the 5th Light Horse, 10 percent of the takings being
donated to the Queensland Soldiers' Comforts Fund. The , committees
of these various funds thought out the scheme and launched it as a
venture. It has been an unqualified success, and they deserve all the
profits they work for to send away to their men fig"hting" abroad for
the prestige of kith and kin.

Each battalion takes two days a w T eek, and a member from that
particular comforts fund is in charge of the working" of the girls for that
day. The offices of the manager, cashier and superintendent, how-
ever, are permanent, and have been held by the same members since the
opening" of the cafe. Two or three days a week the soldiers of the
military band are given luncheon free, and it is a stirring scene to see
them all file in after the recruiting" meetings at the Post Office. Some-

36

times they play outside the lane, and from every office window along the
lane and overlooking - from Queen-street, listening business girls and
men are craning to see the soldiers and listen to the delightful music of
the band.

The cafe is an emblem of woman's admiration for the man in khaki.
No work is too great or too tiresome to express that hardly understood
feeling - of her's for the soldier who risks his life for his country. And
overshadowing the laugriter and the music, the symbols of the soldier
are ever present, for round the walls of the cafe are the glorious flags
of the Empire : Australia, the 9th Battalion, 49th Battalion, 9th Field
Artillery Brigade, and the 5th Light Horse.

37

m

The Return ofYWoundecl Soldiers.

39

Queensland Soldiers Sock Fund.

BRANCHES ALL OVER QUEENSLAND.

OX April 19th, 1915, a movement was started in Brisbane which has
spread throughout the length and breadth of Queensland. It was
the Queensland Soldiers' Sock Fund, and since that date over
45,000 pairs of socks have been sent overseas to the soldiers, and consider-
ably over £1,900 has been collected to buy wool. The depot is situated
in a large room behind the Queensland Foreign Mission Shop in Albert St ,
one of the Hon. Secretaries and a member of the committee being in atten-
dance every day from 10 a.m. to 12 noon, to distribute wool and leceive the
knitted socks. Wool is given out to anyone who applies, the condition
being that the socks made from such wool be brought into the depot and
spnt away with the consignments from the Queensland Soldiers' Sock Fund.
The work has increased considerably, the returns being much greater this
year than last ytar, and the largest number of socks yet sent away by the
fund was contained in the last consignment, when 1,697 pairs were sent
overseas.

The country branches work with the same enthusiasm as those in and
around Brisbane, and parcels arrive daily from all parts of Queensland;
between 300 and 400 pairs often being received at the one time. The
school children are quite as enthusiastic as the women, and large parcels
are sent from both the state and private schools, sums of money also being
collected and handed over to the fund to purchase wool.

Every fortnight the socks are packed in cases at the depot and passed
on to the Queensland Patriotic Fund, who store them until space is found
for transport overseas. There is an ever increasing demand for socks, and
the members who have worked so consistently for over two years, never
flag in their interest. Apart from the many individual knitters in Brisbane,
there are 300 women who contribute regularly to this particular fund, and
they are just as keen to make socks to-day as they were two years ago,
when the urgent need of socks, and still more socks, was recognised. That
need has not lessened, indeed, it has increased.

40

41

Home for Wounded Soldiers.

MOVEMENT STARTED IN BRISBANE.

A MEETING of women delegates from the different Comforts'lFunds
in Brisbane met some months ago at the invitation of the Returned
Soldiers' and Patriots' National Political League, to establish a
home for returned soldiers who are cripples or nervous wrecks.
Several difficulties arose, however, in the starting of a complete new fund,
and the matter has since been taken up by the Red Cross Society. It has
been decided by the members to establish two homes for returned wounded
soldiers. One for advanced consumptives and the other for men who are
physically incapable of earning their living. The movement is as yet in
its infancy, but when the Red Cross Society have taken the matter in hand
there is every reason to have full confidence in the homes being established.
They will be of inestimable benefit to men made physical wrecks through
the horrors of war ; and doubtless, it is only a matter of bringing the fact
before the public to receive support from all parts of the community.

42

43

Red Cross Kitchen.

UNTIRING WORK OF VOLUNTARY " COOKS."
■

DAY in and day out, for the last two years, the women of the Red
Cross Kitchen have served a tea to the inmates of the Kangaroo
Point Military Hospital. In addition, three times a week, an
excellent menu has been sent out to the camp hospitals, convalescent
detail hospital, Lytton, Rosemount, Wattlebrae, and extra supplies given
to the Kangaroo Point Hospital, while men at Goodna, the Diamantina,
or wherever sick soldiers are stationed, are regularly supplied with
delicacies. It needs no stretch of imagination to realise the work this
entails. The kitchen, which is situated opposite the Customs House, is
a long room, with stores on shelf above shelf on the right-hand side,
while to the left are the stoves, ice-chests, and other necessities for pre-
paring the supplies ; all the fittings having been made by the men's
auxiliary, who work in the basement.

The sight of the women, in their white uniforms and caps, working
busily every day and all day behind the large windows with the sign of
the Red Cross, has almost ceased to attract the attention of the passer-
by, and yet there is a retinue of 70 helpers who carry out this work
consistently, each member having her regular hours and regular days
for assisting. And all the work is voluntary. Through the heat of two
summers and the varied weather of winter they have worked untiringly
peeling potatoes, cutting up salads, making scones and cakes, and
cooking tempting morsels for the sick and wounded men. In addition,
they have prepared and served the suppers at Kangaroo Point for the
returned soldiers on the night of their return.

The stores, vegetables and foodstuffs are supplied gratis by the
various branches of the Red Cross, men (particularly the men of the
markets) and women who are interested in the work so excellently
carried out, and school children who send in regular supplies of eggs,
milk and other foodstuffs. Some idea of the work done by the "cooks"
is realized by a visit to the kitehen during the day. There, scones are
being made, fruit salads cut up, potatoes peeled, and vegetables, curries,
poultry and puddings prepared. The rows of home-made jam are the
result of a day's work, while again pickles and chutneys are also stored
ready for the use of the soldier. Sometimes 14 fowls will be received
from one well-wisher in the country. These must all be plucked and
dressed straight away, and are put in cold storage until required. There
is not an idle moment for the workers, and towards evening or at mid-day
the delicacies are packed and taken by the Red Cross Motor to the
various destinations. There are three gas stoves and two gas rings in
use, and many people who understand and appreciate the work have
added other conveniences for the cooking. The helpers are so particular
that the work should be entirely voluntary that they even pay for meals
served to them during the day. This work is carried out by about 30
girls, who serve the meals and do all the washing up. The kitchen has
been so widely recognised as an institution of essential value, that the
"cooks" are assisted by the military authorities, who provide two
soldiers every day to help with the heavy work. The soldiers, nurses
and doctors are full of gratitude to these Red Cross workers. And,
indeed, they have been untiring in their efforts, and unselfish with both
their time and their energy, to be of service to the soldiers.

Nurse Cavell.

45

Circles and Guilds.

SUBURBAN AND CITY BRANCHES OF WORK.

IT might be safely said that there is not a street in or around Brisbane,
in which there are not women working in one way or another for the
men in khaki. Leisure hours are given to sewing, knitting, or
arrangements for "days," fetes and other entertainments whereby money
may be gathered in for the welfare of the soldiers in the trenches, in
the hospitals, on leave, or discharged from duty.

The working girls, no less than those of the leisure classes, have given of
their time and money, and it is no uncommon occurrence for the employees
of large drapery and other establishments to arrange concerts, river picnics
and entertainments to provide either the furniture for a room in the Resi-
dential Club, or some other gift for a patriotic cause.

Apart from the Red Cross Society, the Queensland Soldiers' Comforts
Fund and other well-known patriotic centres, there are many circles and
guilds and individual women who work for or entertain the Queensland
soldier. Some idea of the work the women are doing is realized when it is
considered that, in the Red Cross alone, each of the 31 Brisbane branches
averages a membership of from 50 to 100 women. In addition to the
Societies formed entirely for patriotic work, there are at least 17 different
sewing guilds attached to independent institutions.

Among these centres is the Blind, Deaf and Dumb Institution, the
members of which make quantities of shirts and socks, their work being
particularly neat and well finished. The students of the Queensland
University, the Technical College, and the women of the Mutual Service
Club also make garments and knitted articles for the men, while the
girls of the Y. W.CA. have given wonderful contributions considering
that the majority of their time is taken up with earning their living.
Not only have they become a sub-branch of the Red Cross Society,
and donated gifts regularly to the Queensland Soldiers' Comforts Fund,
but they have given of their earnings as well. Each girl gives what she
can afford weekly, a penny, threepence, or what ever the sum may be,
and during the last year they collected over L £60 for various patriotic
organisations.

. The Church of England Soldiers' Help Society have been working
energetically almost from the commencement of the war. It was the mem-
bers of this Society who organised and established the Anzac Club in
Charlotte-street, and this is by no means the only channel of their work.
Twice a week members go out to the camp and mend the soldiers' clothes.
They have a tent, and the Soldiers' Hut (which is another result of their
efforts) where they receive damaged garments and darn, patch and mend
them ready for use again. A scheme to relieve the anxiety of relatives

46

of soldiers who are wounded has been of inestimable comfort to many
mothers and fathers in Queensland. The Society keep in touch with a
chaplain in England, who visits and issues cards to the wounded men in
hospitals in England. The men fill the cards in, stating their wounds,
their circumstances, name, etc., and these are sent out to Queensland, and
they are then distributed to the relatives by the Society. In this way
many parents have been able to trace their soris, particularly boys who
ran away from home to enlist, and who have failed to keep in touch with
their relatives.

Many women's societies and clubs regularly entertain the men in
camp, organizing concerts, while the work of individual women in the
interests of soldiers has been beyond praise. Among other centres of
patriotic activity, the following churches, institutions and societies
also have energetic sewing guilds : — Queensland Women's Electoral
League, Stephens' Girls' League, Mitson Haseldene Sewing Circle,
Holy Trinity Sewing Circle, Heralds of the King, The Spiritual
Soldiers' Aid, City Tabernacle, St. Peter's Guild (West End), Salvation
Army, Nurses at Central Hospital, Vulture St. Baptist Church, and a 60
Sewing Circle.

47

A Spirit of Service.

THROUGH the portals of modern times women has met this great
conflict of nations warring with nations with a calm strength and
patience. And she has set up a shrine in the activities of her
house — a shrine that is a spirit of service to the soldier.

When peace first spread her wings to take flight across seas and con-
tinents, she left woman standing on the brink of war with reluctant and
uncertain feet. No woman in any period of the world's history ever faced
the colossal task that the women of 1914 faced three years ago. into the
domestic trend of their lives came the shadows of battle and strife and
death, and they waved goodbye to their sons, brothers, and lovers, with a
vague feeling that they had gone forth to meet danger, and it was for their
country. Then came battle news and casuality lists, and the doubting
fears broke into grief and sorrow and daily anxiety, from wliich emerged
an unfathomable reverence for the man who will die for his country.

It was then that the full significance of the soldier really dawned on
woman in general, and with characteristic feminity she sought to express
her reverence for these men in unbounded service to their needs. Nor has
that service diminished — rather has it increased.

No man will ever realise the feeling a woman has for the man who
goes forth to fight for his country, his womerfolk and the weak. Life is
such a precious thing. Women know this too well. So many of them have
lingered near the edges of that undiscovered country and known the joy of
regaining the shores of Life. So that when a man voluntarily risks his
life to defend all that is precious to him, he becomes almost a demi-god in
her mind. Her sons seem to have grown something almost too precious.
She exists in a daily imagery of their lives, and when they fall in battle
something of their great courage seems to be reflected within her. She
meets her loss with such a knowledge of the honor of his death that she is
fortified with a strange new armor. Girls who grew up with their brothers,
and looked on them just as their " brothers," are at times overwhelmed
with the magnitude of what these boys have done and are doing. And
from a world of tennis, dances, pleasures, and peace-time sorrows, they
have traversed into the great arena of service.

And what an arena it is ! From the lowest to the highest rung on the
social ladder, from the tropic lands of the North to the wheat grown fields
of the Downs, from the out-back stations of the West to the Pacific, women
have arisen to do honour to the man in khaki. She who must needs work
to earn her daily bread spends her leisure momentsin knitting or sewing.
She who has lived in the midst of household duties and home cares, gives
what hours she may spare— and often, what she is unable to spare — to Red
Cross activities, comforts for the m^n in the trenches, or to practical work
to augment the funds of some particular patriotic institution. For these
works are not temporary works, they are institutions, institutions built on
the foundations of self-sacrifice, and they will outlive many a granite
building in the memory of future generations. The society woman — the
butterfly — has been one of the surprises of the war. Out of her chrysalis
she has come and put aside her life of luxury to do homage to this demi-
god in khaki. What matter whether he was her gardener or her lover
yesterday — he is a soldier to-day, and as such she will give him homage.

48

Mutual

49

Service

Club.

FOR RELATIVES OF MEN AT THE FRONT.

ANY afternoon in the week, except Saturday and Sunday, between
the hours of two and five o'clock, the Mutual Service Club may
be seen in full working- order on the top floor of Moon's
Building-, Adelaide Street. This club is for the relatives, particularly
the wives and children, of men at the front. There are two large rooms
available for the club, and they are always well patronised by the
wives and children of soldiers. Primarily it is a society of mutual
service, and the committee who organised and keep up the club
endeavour to assist wherever help is wanted. The women of Brisbane
who have time and means do not give their energy to the soldier
alone, for they realise that in helping his wife and children they are
indirectly doing him invaluable service.

The room is always a centre of interested women and happy children.
There are many diversions for the soldiers' wives, and the children are
provided with toys and picture books. A Red Cross Circle provides one
interest, while once a week cooking or sewing demonstrations are given
and entertainments are arranged whenever possible.

Two members of the committee are on duty every day, and after-
noon tea and biscuits are provided for 2d. The subscriptions are is. a
year for club members, 2s. 6d. for committee members, and 5s. associate
members, the latter being practically annual donations for the upkeep of
the club, while the shilling subscription is given by the soldier's wife who
wishes to obtain the privileges of the club.

The privileges are many, for wherever help is needed the Hon. Sec-
retary attends personally to the want. Professional men have been
exceedingly generous to members, and there are several doctors and
chemists who practically give their services free, while even legal advice
is tendered to those in need free of charge. The latter help is required
more often than the general public think, for there are many times when
a woman feels utterly at a loss in the tangles of the law. When a
soldier's wife is confronted with legal or other difficulties, she will
always find assistance at the Mutual Service Club. Jumble sales are
also held, and quite a large sum has been made by the members from a
small stall at which remnants, supplied by the shops, are sold. Proceeds
from this stall purchased a clock for the camp hospital at Enoggera last
year, and the profits are always of use to the committee. Sometimes
money is advanced to women who are in needy circumstances, and,
indeed, whenever anyone is in distress, endeavors are made to alleviate
the trouble.

The club has been in existence for over two years, and the women
who initiated the step towards its establishment must feel exceedingly
gratified at the success achieved.

50

Mayfa.tr Ltd.

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